Jeremy Hunt’s last budget before an election – but not his last roll of the dice

These latest tax cuts were not the gamechanger the Tories need before the election

Jeremy Hunt is in favour of delaying the election until the autumn, and it showed. His second budget had all the hallmarks of a holding operation from a government hoping the summer will bring better economic news and leave open the possibility of another package of measures in six or seven months' time.

Sure, there was the much-heralded cut in national insurance contributions, which formed the biggest chunk of a front-loaded 14bn stimulus package. Certainly, he took every opportunity to have a pop at Labour in a deeply political speech. This will be the last budget before the election, but it did not feel like the last roll of the dice for the government.